The present invention is directed to a system and method to maximize capacity and/or range of a wireless radio communication link between two radio communication devices.
Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radio communication techniques are known to enhance the received SNR for signals transmitted by one device to another. Research in MIMO radio algorithms has been conducted in which multiple signal streams are transmitted simultaneously from multiple antennas at one device to another device, thereby greatly enhancing the data rate of the wireless radio channel between two devices. One prior approach for transmitting multiple signals streams simultaneously by a plurality of antennas uses a power constraint on the total power transmitted by the plurality of antennas combined and a waterfilling solution. The waterfilling solution requires multiple full-power power amplifiers at the transmitting device since, for some channels, it is possible that all or nearly all the transmit power may be transmitted from one power amplifier. There is room for improving the design of devices capable of MIMO radio communication, particularly where it is desirable to fabricate the radio transceiver of the device in an integrated circuit.